Hairdresser only taking cash

[Snowleopardsspots]

I live in London and have my colour done every 6 months. It costs £265. Hairdressers is nice enough, the lady who runs/owns it/does my hair is an Albanian woman.
when I started going 2-3 years ago, they kept saying oh the card machine is broken, can you pay cash? There is a card machine next door. Now my daily limit is £50 so I would have to visit the cash machine six times leading up to the appt. I am disabled and do not go out every day. When I first went They gave me the bank details and I paid straight into the account. Just had my hair done and said do you still have the same account? She said oh we are a cash only salon now. You can transfer the money today but in future we are cash only. I heard them telling a few people on the phone when making appointments ‘it is cash only’ and a couple of people actually left and came back with cash. Is this a common thing? Is it time to find a new hairdresser?

We have a well known Albanian contingent where I live who are well known drug dealers, and use car washes, and other cash businesses to launder money. It’s a known thing. I’ve also been to Thai nail bars where they only take cash but don’t tell you until you’re done. I have No problem paying cash if I know that’s the preferred method up front. However purely cash businesses are a well known vehicle for money laundering (see also Turkish barbers and phone case shops). It’s not news, everyone knows these places exist.

Go elsewhere

My hairdresser prefers cash as they there's less bank costs, gdpr something cost, card costs etc etc. She loses a lot of money when we use cards etc

Because there are no small businesses in London? 🤣 there is more than there is in most of the country!

I agree OP for me it would just be too much hassle and it’s only getting your hair done, get someone else

My hairdressers is cash only, quite a few in the area are

Money laundering is cleaning dirty money through legitimate banking systems so it’s unlikely that’s what they’re doing.

Yes find a new hairdresser. She sets her terms, if it doesn't work for you go elsewhere.

Mine says the bank does take quite a slice so she asks for cash or Revolut for preference, but takes card.

Oh come on. Cash is for tax avoidance. Card fees aren’t that high.

£50 is unreasonably low. £200 is normal? I’d rather pay by card & id tell them that.
Might consider reporting to the council or HMRC if I could be bothered, but I probably wouldn’t get around to it.

What is the relevance of her being Albanian?

lol. I know what money laundering is. Why do you think it works so well in places that only take cash??

Yep. John the plumber must pay his share of Liz truss’s pension, but Amazon and the likes avoiding billions in tax - all fine and dandy, because mumsnetters can’t live without Amazon Prime.

It doesn’t work well in places that take cash. How can you clean your drug money if you’re just adding to it with cash from customers?

Amazon isn’t a British company. It’s not avoiding tax by not being based here for tax purposes

Nationality not race.

My local Chinese has always been cash only and I’ve noticed a few others are the same. We’ve adapted and have cash ready for our takeaway. Cash only businesses do exist and now you are aware this is a long term situation you have time to prepare as you only go twice a year. If they do a good job why would you change.

Wow, that sounds like a lot to have your hair coloured. Not that I have ever had mine done.
Can you find somewhere cheaper where you can also pay by card?

I don't use any business who only takes cash because I assume they are fiddling tax and won't condone it.
Even my hairdresser who works from home takes card. She uses SumUp.

As to all those coyly asking why Albanian is relevant. Albanian organised crime is huge in the UK and there's a disproportionate number of Albanians convicted of crime here.

Of course it’s money laundering.
A cash-only business will declare a certain amount of income. They’ll pay it into the company account and pay tax on it. The money can come from hair cuts or drugs or whatever. No one can ever prove how much has come from where. The beauty of cash-only is that the business can claim to make a much or as little as it wants. Perfect for laundering money.

If £500 of drug money comes in, they can say “that came from 5 haircuts”. If anyone says “OK, show us the credit card receipts” they can say “we’re cash only, we don’t have credit card receipts”.

So because she is Albanian we are free to assume she is a criminal? 🤨

Read the news

That is extortionate! What exactly do you have done?

£265 seems a lot anyway. Time to go elsewhere.

£50 is a ridiculously low limit.

If you're that worried about theft most banking apps can freeze and unfreeze your card with a quick tap.
If you're not happy with cash only simply go elsewhere. There are no end of places to get your hair done on every high street.

It’s so common that a lot of foreign businesses are cash. It’s more cultural to use cash and of course it is to avoid tax.
It wouldn’t bother me, I pay cash for my hair, nails, local takeaways etc. If anything it gets my back up when people look at you like a criminal because you mention ‘cash’ - especially with young people it’s like they assume you are a criminal/drug lord/conman etc !